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Authors/books you admire or recommend

xXSaberXx

xxxXsightless
LAWL LAWL.

Dan Brown, guys. Three words. The DaVinci Code. Two Words: Digital Fortress. EFFING WEIRDEST BOOKS EVAR! Though rooted in science so much it is teh awesome. Dumb protagonists, but still.

Kurt Vonnegut OMFG CATS CRADLE=SECKS. Most of his books have been turned into movies as well. BOKONISM FOREVAR!!111oneseven. *Hugs Scrap* KURT=LIFE!

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha is truly one of the most moving books I have ever read. I was, of course, a tad young for it when I read it...(Around thirteen,) but I was deeply impacted by the writing, plot, and the characters. An excellent book. I hope the movie can stay true to the artwork that is Memoirs.

D: Will think of more later. *dance*
 
C

+Chaos Blade+

Guest
  • Steven Pressfield [Novels: Gates of Fire, Tides of War*] - He writes Historical Fiction novels. If you are a fan of warfare, blood, gore, and profanity, mainly more of a masculine theme, as well, this is great if you want to learn more about battle descriptions. It's 431 pages, more or less, and revolves around a helot, who lost his citizenship of Sparta after it was destroyed. Simply a superb writer
  • J.K. Rowling [Novels: The Harry Potter series] - Jo, J.K. Rowling's, style is unique. In Book [Year] I, it is written at a fifth/sixth-grade level, as Harry Potter was ten/eleven-yeared as he was enrolled into Hogwarts. As the series got more involved, Jo's writing style adapted to what was known as, in my own words, "relationship writing", in which the writer adapts to the novel itself, and evolves with the novel.
  • Octavia E. Butler [Novel: Kindred] - If you are in dire need of description and emotion involvement, delve into the world of the ante bellum south, in which a black woman, Dana, goes back in time to save her own self by saving a white man. This book also helps with character development and description. This is a fantastic read, yet quite expensive for a paperback - $14 dollars U.S.

* Not read yet, yet recommended by critics.
 

Negrek

Lost but Seeking
Well, there are several authors whose work I adore. I love Dianna Wynne Jones' plots, for example, and she's one of my most favorite authors. I also love Terry Pratchett, Michael Chrichton, and Jonathan Stroud.

I used to be big on Jacques and McCaffrey, but I've sorta outgrown those books, I guess. I also used to be a rabid Animorphs fan.
 

purple_drake

E/GL obsessed
Oooh, this is my kind of thread!

Okay, favourite authors. Tolkein, definately on top of the list; I guess of everything I've read, his utter detail, his mythology, is what inspires me the most (especially his little story on the making of the world, at the beginning of the Silmarillion. Fantastic.). I'm also a huge fan of David Eddings, JK Rowling, Joanne Bertin and Elizabeth Hayden for fantasy writers, but I also love a good Frank E. Peretti book now and then (he's a Christian writer), especially 'This Present Darkness'. Emily Rodda is good too, especially when I feel like a nice, short book; same with K.A. Applegate, though I usually go for her Animorphs series.

I loved Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia... oh, and I absolutely adore Watership Down, by Richard Adams... and the Elvenbane series, by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey. Ooh, and for comedy, the Red Dwarf series is brilliant; Rob Grant and Doug Naylor have a way with crazy humour that is just fantastic (I reckon you'd love 'em, Saber). And I like Micheal Crichton's Jurassic Park and Lost World...

Oh, yeah, do comics count? Hunh, well, we all need a laugh now and then, so they're classified as 'books' in my book, lol. Calvin and Hobbes is my most recent attachment, but Asterix, Hagar the Horrible, B.C, The Wizard of Id and Footrot Flats are all classics that I grew up on. Wow, that makes me sound old... oh, and Fred Basset! Can't forget him!

And I have to admit, I really liked reading Shakespeare for school... I think I was about the only one of the class who did.

*cough* anyway... I'd better stop here, lol. Yeah... I like reading... you guys have mentioned tons of books I've been intending to read - like Eragon and the DaVinci Code, to name a couple... I should really look out for them.
 

Eternal Daydreamer

Surrender to the Sea
An author thread? Awesome! I got a few.

Lynne Read Banks - Remember the Indian in the Cupbard series? She did a good job of writing it!!!!

Gaston Leroux - For a dead french guy, he got one of the most popular fads going. The Phantom of the Opera! He was the guy that got the book out that started a pheonomen. Exe: Movies, musicals, even other books!!!

K.A. Applegate - She was pretty good at writing Animorphs. Too bad it ended...

Robert Jordan - Eh, I never finished the first book but I did finish the prologue book. Problem is: the books are WAY too long!

Tolkien - Not for Lord of the Rings, I assure you. I liked The Hobbit the best. My dad got me hooked. ;)

J.K. Rowling - Need I say more?

Roald Dahl - For a childrens author, he wrote some pretty deep symbolic stuff! His story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for example, all the kids repersented a part of humanity!

Brian Jacques - Redwall although one-sided is pretty good. Very descriptive and exciting.

Those are some of my faves.
 

Klaus

TOMATO BERRY!
OMG! *HUGS TO TYPHLOGIRL AND xXSAPPHIRExX FOR LIKING LS*

Yes, I love:

Lemony Snicket : In my opinion Snicket is one of the best writers. He isn't that big into to much decription but he makes it short and sweet. And he always seems to have something original from hypnotisim to putting someones mother in an evidence bin.

J.K. Rowling : I Just plain love that woman. Her books are so well put togathers and depicted that it's just amazing. Her characters have life to them. I wish I could right like that. Her books I can't put down.

Meg Cabot : Okay, I know they're directed toward girls, but they are just really good. The Princess Diaries series is just amazing. I don't care what you say, they're brilliant!


C.S Lewis : His Narnia Series is just brilliant. I just discovered his books about five years ago and I still read them.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Have any of you guys read her works. They're brilliant because they really happend. The Little House Series depicts true life on the frontier back in the early 19th century. Just amazing.


Roald Dahl OMG! He writes just whatever. It's an entire world of imagingation but he writes it as if it could really happen. Yes, my third fave authors.

That's all for now.






As always, be kind to the mime.
 

Dragonfree

Just me
Ah, yes, Roald Dahl. I both love his children's books and some of his short stories are just brilliant. Heh, he's so twisted...
 

katiekitten

The Compromise
I forgot CS Lewis. A true writer. I love his Narnia series, I read the 'Horse and His Boy' Again from time to time. My favourite has to be the: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader. Such an imagintive mind he must have had to create such a brilliant new world... I hope I am half as good as he is someday.
 
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Hidden Mew

Fog Trainer
katiekitten said:
Same for me, Hidden Mew. I read for at least an hour each night before bed. I think you would really enjoy The Otori trilogy, by Lian Hearn. The first one is 'Across the Nightingale Floor.' :)

That does sound really interesting. I'll be going to a bookstore this weekend, so I may start reading this trilogy. Thanks katiekitten.:) I sometimes get too busy to read, but I read a lot on the weekends.

I also forgot another series that I'm still reading. Its the All Creatures Great and Small seires by James Herriot. The titles are from this one poem and each new book has the next line. I've only read two of his books and they are really good. They are based on his experience as a vet in the Yorkshire dales. James goes different stories in each chapter, but that makes it even more interesting. They are a great read for those who enjoy reading about animals. This thread is so great and cool.
 
M

mindripper

Guest
First off, my apologies for bumping this thread, I meant to reply sooner, but kinda forgot.

Ambrose Bierce

Dias, I am pleasantly surprised that anybody here appreciates Bierce, as his works catered to a mature audience(Not saying that members here cannot handle it, but that they may not have heard of it, have little interest in the subject etc). I must say that The Devil's Dictionary was a piece of cynical brilliance.

Where would we be without Artemis Fowl? An absolutely ingenius book, that combines magic with real life, action, and mystery. I have enjoyed every single one, and I cannot wait for more. It is written by Eoin Colfer, and is a must read.

Agreed. Incredibly sophisticated work, and the sharp, british style humour is apparent no matter which of the four books one reads. Doomed to be compared to the HP series, and while Hp is brilliant in its way with sales proving so, Artemis Fowl is an excellent anti-hero, and the supporting cast is quirky and endearing in their own individual ways. I tip my hat to Colfer, and hope to see Holly and Artemis in action again soon. Hopefully the character balance that anchored the first book will be back once again.

Well, I'm a big Tolkein fan. His books aren't an easy, light read but they're exciting and meaningful, and worth putting time into if you're really looking for something with depth. The way he incorporates symbols and ideas is very good, and past The Fellowship (which is really quite boring, I won't lie, and initially turned me off to the series) the books are exciting. And seeing the movie doesn't count :p

Well, most people know LOTR through the movies, so that would not be too fair. For me, the most poignant piece of the WOTR(war of the rings) triology was the part Gollum played in the one ring's destruction, and the foreshadowng acheived by Gandalf's quote in FOTR. Yep, that quote!

However, the books which we have NOT seen on the big screen, and will likely never see, are Tolkien's better works. The Hobbit is paced much better, and is succintly light-hearted, with a great chance of making it to the big screen. The same cannot be said of the Sil and the other releases which plugged the plot holes offered by each's companion books. Poetically written, with an endearing sense of grandeur pervading throughout, but also a touch of tragedy, and a sense of helplessness and despair. IMO, the best fantasy war was set in the Sil. Nirnaeth Arnoediad, battle of unnumbered tears, completely owns every WOTR battle. Characters like Turin, Hurin, Beren, Fingolfin, Feanor etc grappled with dragons and balrogs, when one of the latter caused the demise of Gandalf the Grey in FOTR, which should give anyone a sense of the scale involved in those books. The reason why they cannot translate onto the screen is the scale, and fragmented style, and that Hollywood is bound to take liberties with the plot. A certain Tom Bombadil never appeared, while Arwen replaced Glorfindel( the sole link between the Sil and LOTR, save Galadriel) as the one who raised the river at Rivendell, the ghosts never made it to Pelennor Fields, etc.

I've read a couple of Jack London's books like Call of the Wild and White Fang

Both brilliant, esp the latter.

I have are one time books, such as The Life of Pi by Yann Martel,

Completely agree with this.

Dan Brown, guys. Three words. The DaVinci Code. Two Words: Digital Fortress.

I am going out on a limb and state that the DaVinci Code movie is going to be a commercial hit, but likely a critical failure. Reason? A lot of what Brown wrote about is fictional, ie religiously untrue. About the only thing he got right in the DaVinci Code was the placement of the curator's body in terms of the magical sigil. Research and some knowledge about religion proves a lot of his work likely untrue. Most importantly, visual elements are a poorer way to communicate leaps of logic, which the book manages to cover pretty well. Still a bloody good work, and I go out on another limb to recommend.

Deception Point makes a better movie, once you take all the elements into account. However, who else saw the ending from a mile away?

Angels and Demons had a cult which is better illustrated, ie the Illuminati. Tomb raider completely ruined their image, but Brown rescues it. Langdon is also more believable and instinctive in this one, while he plods along a little in the DaVinci. I cant say I know a lot about the Hashish users, apart from the fact that the former is a drug which a medical friend saw fit to describe boringly the other day. Extremely interesting, though.

Other books of a similar genre are "The Assassini" and "The Rule of Four". The former is a lot like Brown's works, but slower in progression, and uses narration.

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha is truly one of the most moving books I have ever read. I was, of course, a tad young for it when I read it...(Around thirteen,) but I was deeply impacted by the writing, plot, and the characters. An excellent book. I hope the movie can stay true to the artwork that is Memoirs.

Brilliant book, but not so brilliant movie prospect, IMO. Some things can only be captured in print, and vice versa. Can you imagine Sin City as a book (ie not a visual novel)?

C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

Unfortunately, the movie was pretty poor and failed to capture the magic, huh? Kong was a much better movie.

Roald Dahl OMG! He writes just whatever. It's an entire world of imagingation but he writes it as if it could really happen.

Haha, a childhood fav of mine, too. "The wonderful world of Henry Sugar" is great.

ok, this will make me sound uncultured...but stephen king.

No way are you uncultured. Anyone who reads horror should at least respect the man. Some of his psychology is simply breathtaking, no matter whether he deals with weight loss in "Thinner", or firestarters in "Carrie" or simply shows his brilliance in "Pet Semetary". "skeleton crew" rounds off the highlight reel.

"The eyes of the dragon" is not really horror, but is a medieval, fantastical thriller. Shows King's flexibility. Did I miss the Stand? Sorry, throw that in as well.

The other title I have to go on about a little is "It", IMO King's best novel. I will never forget big Bill screaming "Hi-yo Silver!", or Beverly defeating the werewolf thing. Or Pennywise's "down here, everybody floats" quote. God, the way King wrote about the malleabilities of a child's mind, and the ramifications of imagination, the differentials between adulthood and childhood, and the group finally returning to defeat "IT" really left an indelible mark on my mind.

Many authors like Paolini, Snickets, Rowling, Pratchet etc have already been named, and I will not touch too much on them. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" makes one laugh and tear at the same time. Lovecraft, my personal inspiration and the convoluted reason why I write the way I do, was the one who invented horror, together with Poe. Me salutes him. Milton's and Dante's poetry on the christian religion have also had a huge impact on me, even though I am not a christian, and I recommend them.

My last recommendation is an ode of sorts to the horror genre. To any who like King's writing and the horror genre in general MUST give Richard Laymon a try. I understand that he was always more popular in the UK than the US, but his novels are always taut, page-flipping splatterings of gore and violence. I believe that I have never turned pages so quickly, and the urge to flip to the back page never seems stronger than when I read this guy's work. He takes the horror envelope and pushes it further than even King dares. Laymon's streak of violence headlines his books, but the single strongest driving force of any Laymon novel is his superb charcterisations. Some of his characters stick so firmly in one's mind that I can probably write dossiers on them. He utilised both third person and narration, and his female characters always seem a lot more driven and faceted than their male counterparts.

His supernatural novels are generally more violent than his mundane novels. the best of said lot is IMO "The traveling vampire show", a novel about three friends who want to catch a traveling group that supposedly has a female vampire in captivity. The only thing which disturbed me was the rushed ending, but the feel was extremely taut, and characterisation was superb. Slim, a female from the novel, is particularly memorable, and Dwight, the narrator, is very decent as well.

Anyone who loved 28 days later should catch "One rainy night", about a downpour which converts anyone touched into a bloodthirsty psycho. One scene outside a cinema is worth the book price. You can also catch several odes to NOTLD and other horror flicks from the 1970s. "In the dark" is another psychological thriller that shows Laymon's range and skill, as a young woman unravels clues in a game she is involved in with MOG(master of games), with cash incentives increasing with each clue unravelled and mission accomplished. As the cash incentive increases, the physical danger to the female protaganist increases during the actual undertakings of the missions, as well as the moral sacrifices she has to make. Of course, there is no way of backing out, as the reader would quickly find.

Oh and "Dreadful Tales", a compilation of horror shorts, is addictively page-turning, more so than King's compilations. Some of the stories are downright bloody and sick, but Laymon turns those pages faster than most other authors, and "Dreadful Tales" never relents on the pace. There is a superior ode to "The cannibal holocaust", THAT particular film which screwed its director twice over in the movie industry, and is one of the most disturbing social commentaries ever.

On a further note, Laymon's novels mostly contain graphic images of gore, and he pulls no punches, and spares no tact at all. There is always a sexual connotation, usually in a pretty sick manner in his novels. What Laymon does exceedlingly better than any other writer is his ability to portray sick, demented characters such that the reader actually buys his logic, no matter how far-fetched. No one is fully informed how one of his villains becomes invisible in "beware", but he does his characters so well that they could spout butterfly wings and sing Pavarotti without anyone batting an eyelid. NO MAIN CHARACTER is guaranteed survival, and twists always abound in the last quarter of every book. Unhappy endings lurk everywhere, and as a certain reviewer once said, "for Laymon, blood is never spilt but insteads explodes and splatters", and amen to that. When Dean Koontz and King both voice out about a horror writer's abilities, you get a pretty good picture. Do be forgiving on the sexual undertone and certain leaps of logic, though.

Why the heck am I rambling about Laymon? Call it last respects. To anyone who has read Laymon before, you know what I mean when I speak of his quality. He may not be a better writer overall, compared to some of the abovementioned names, but really really delivers haymaker after haymaker to the reader. And he passed away in 2001, meaning a void in my own horror fix. Sad.
 

Elemental Charizam

Sudden Genre Shift
However, the books which we have NOT seen on the big screen, and will likely never see, are Tolkien's better works. The Hobbit is paced much better, and is succintly light-hearted, with a great chance of making it to the big screen.
I think I'm one of the few who doesn't mind the pacing of the books. In fact, I'd hate it if the scourging of the shire was removed (at least, I assume that's your main problem with the pacing) and the books are better for having it in there. I won't ramble on about pacing any longer though :p Suffice to say I like the Hobbit and the LOTR trillogy equally.

While I do prefer the Silmarillion, it is an entirely different kind of book from the other four. Told in a completely different way, more epic in scale, and more exciting and interesting in my opinion.

Other favourites of mine include Terry Prachett, Neil Gaiman, and especially their co-authored book 'Good Omens', Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books, Terry Brooks, David Gemmel, Paul Kearney, Trudi Cannavan and many more....
 

Ash_Junior

Irredeemable Nerd
authors I'd recommend:

Micheal Stackpole (!!!!!!): THE ultimate Star Wars Writer, in my opinion, he set the bar when he started the X-wing series, and has since written a bunch more, including I, Jedi, and even a couple in the (*hiss*) New Jedi Order series (at least he didn't kill Chewie....*pulls out deer rifle and looks to see if Salvatore is anywhere nearby* that's right. R. A. Salvatore. He KILLED CHEWIE!). Plus Stackpole wrote some BATTLETECH (Mechwarrior) stuff!

Meg Cabot: Like Klaus said, she's a great author. I'm a guy, I'm straight, and I read her books. and I'm glad. the Princess Diaries books are WAY better than the movies! Go Boris Pelkowski! Never tuck your shirt in!

Bob Lee: Author of the Wally McDoogle series....heh...sheer insanity with a plot. 'nough said.

Ted Dekker: HAve you read the Circle Trilogy? No? Read Thr3e (no, that isn't a typo)? Read Obsessed? Then shut up and start reading. He is one of THE best writiers I've ever seen.

Frank Peretti: a Christian horror writer. that may seem to be a contradiction in terms, but just wait until you read his books. if they don't sare you, there's something wrong with you. (trivia: he appearerd in the movie based on one of his books: Hangman's Curse)

Lewis: do I really need to say?

Tolkien: same as Lewis

that's all for now...
 

Sike Saner

Peace to the Mountain
Fwee, let's see how many of these I actually remember the first time around...

First and foremost:

Favorite book (and author):

Katie Waitman - Whose The Merro Tree is sci-fi/fantasy at its best; a dazzlingly imaginative story about the importance of freedom of artistic expression and love on the deepest level, with an almost exclusively non-human cast. Pure pwnage. READ IT NOW.

Favorite series:

C.J. Cherryh - The Chanur series...yum. Probably the best sci-fi books I've yet encountered, and another universe with an almost exclusively non-human cast. The alien races are incredibly well-realized...and, oh man...the hani kick SO MUCH BUTT. They're cat-people, for frell's sake! ^_^

Other favorite authors:

Brian Jacques: - THE master of anthropomorphism. Frell, I love that guy's work. *hugs Redwall series, hard*

J.K. Rowling: - I didn't think I would get hooked by the Harry Potter series, but I did. Big time.

J.R.R. Tolkien - LOTR = Hell yes. The end.
 

Saffire Persian

Now you see me...
I have plenty to reccomend!

Right now, I really don't have a favorite author... but...

Jonathan Stroud: Brilliant author. I like his books, though I personally favor the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy Best. The seconds good, and the third is good; however, the ending of the third..is..erm.. wrong, just wrong. XD

Eoin Colfer : I've only read his Artemis Fowl series, but I will say this, they're something to die for. If only Harry Potter wasn't around... *cough* Personally, I like Artemis better 'n' Harry.

J.R.R Tolkein: LOTR. "Nuff said.

C.S Lewis: Author of Narnia. Again, self explanatory.

Michael Ende : For The Neverending Story , which BTW, is much better than the kids movie. ^^. Nicely written, though I haven't read it in years.

David Eddings : For The Sight and Fire Bringer I love how his books are in the POV of animals.

Brian Jaques: Anthropmorph King, yes? I love all his Redwall books, though in my opinion it's been lagging lately.

Richard Adams : For Watership Down and The Plague Dogs . Wonderful animal perspectives.

Tad Williams : Talechaser's Song The Cat story of all cat stories.. because of that, I love. ^^

Orson Scott Card: His Sci-fi books are amazing. Especially Ender's Game.

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter!

Madeline L'Engle: : For her A Wrinkle In Time Series.

Robert Ludlum: For The Bourne Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum. . I love those books, he is a master! And it's much, MUCH better than the movie.

Patrick o' Brian : For the Master and Commander series. LOng and tedious, I admit, but the characters in it (The two main, at least) are just wonderful, and he really does a good job.. this may be a bit of historical fiction, which I don't like much, but I did like these books.

Lloyd Alexander: All his books, though he's best known for The Chronicles of Prydain. He's one of the best Fantasy authors.

Dick King-Smith: He may be a children's author, but his books have never lost their shine! He wrote Babe: The Gallant Pig, and many other animal POV books. Wonderful books that I loved as a kid.

Andrew Davidson: : For Godhanger .. I read it when I was little, but I love it to death.. Animal book perspective.. somewhat of an allegory on Christ, like the chronicles of Narnia.

Robin Mckinly: Robin's books are awesome, but The Hero and the Crown is her best Fantasy book.

Garth Nix: Just an awesome writer, his Sabriel still remains my favorite.

There are many more.. but I don't want to bog the thread down more than it already is.
 

Crystania

Beginning Trainer
My favorits:
K.A.Applegate: Her Animorphs books kept me going until the end,and i still find myself drawn back to these books.
Eoin Colfer: His books about Artemis Fowl caught my eyes,and has got me going to save up enough money to buy them all before christmas.
(Those that have come out in Norway.)
 

Dragonfree

Just me
Oh dear, this is a pretty darn serious bump here. Please try not to post in ancient threads, m'kay?

But since it's still a perfectly good thread, I don't find any need to close it.
 

Malachite Treecko

Well-Known Member
Eva Ibbotson: The Journey to River Sea is simply amazng.
Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is pretty funny.
Roald Dahl: Great stories.
CS Lewis: Yeah, Narnia is better than LotR.
Tove Jansson: well, I think I'm a bit too old to read Mumin, I mean Moomin lol but they are great.

EDIT: Also, Dodie Smith's 'The One Hundred and One Dogs - the stroy about the many dalmatians' are a wonderful piece of fiction. Too bad disney destroyed it.

EDIT AGAIN (I read too many books): Hidden Mew, the Life By Pi is also wonderful. First my brother took it, then my mother, and then I and we all love it.
 
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El hariyamer

Order of the Green
Thomas Pynchon: Gravity's Rainbow, Vineland, The Crying of Lot 49, V.

Strangest and best American author I've ever read. Unduplicatable style.

Iain Banks: A song of stone, Excession, Against a Dark Background.

Both fantasy and science-fiction. Intriguing second-person style.

Milan Kundera: Identity, The unbearable lightness of being.

Identity - easily one of the best novels from Czechoslovakia.

Agota Kristof: Yesterday

Complex character development, very good pacing. Wish they'd make a movie about it.

Marcel Proust: In search of lost time.

One of the defining novels of literature. Bit long, though.
 
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